Nine out of 10 Canadian businesses agree more secure, reliable and high-performing networks such as 5G will help to position Canada as an industrial and technology leader, according to a new report from Ericsson.
Based on a Censuswide survey of more than 500 Canadian business leaders, Ericsson’s The State of Enterprise Connectivity 2025 report for Canada found that while connectivity is vital to increase innovation and to enable companies to be competitive, challenges such as cost are hindering its progression in the country.
According to the report, the main impacts of unreliable connectivity over the last 12 months for Canadian businesses include higher operational costs (cited by 46 per cent of survey respondents), operational inefficiencies (45 per cent) and an increase in waste (31 per cent). For those surveyed in the IT and Telecoms sector, the top areas included higher operational costs (50 per cent), operational inefficiencies (45 per cent) and increase in waste (33 per cent).
Many Canadian companies said they are already leveraging 5G to maximize their business for production efficiency (68 per cent), customer experience (62 per cent), enhancing scalability (57 per cent) and reliability/resilience (56 per cent).
Almost half of Canadian businesses (46 per cent) said 5G will improve bandwidth, while a similar number (44 per cent) said it will be a key enabler for the development of Internet of Things (IoT), AI and other technological applications, according to the report.
Nearly 85 per cent of survey respondents said AI helps improve their network performance by automating analysis and reducing the manual workload on their IT team. In addition, almost nine out of 10 (87 per cent) agree 5G is critical to optimizing the use of AI within the workplace.
In the area of IoT, the top connected IoT devices planned for implementation by Canadian businesses over the next 12 months include predictive maintenance (46 per cent), sensors (41 per cent), digital signage (41 per cent) and cameras (39 per cent). For the IT and Telecoms sector, the top IoT device areas include predictive maintenance (51 per cent), digital signage (47 per cent) and sensors (45 per cent).
The study found there are, however, factors that businesses believe are hindering the progression of connectivity in Canada, with nearly half (47 per cent) citing the cost of services from network-operating telecoms/providers as the biggest issue. In addition, 43 per cent of those surveyed said complex and lengthy permitting processes for deploying connectivity infrastructure are affecting progression, while 38 per cent said strict data protection rules across Canada, such as Quebec’s Law 25 and Ontario’s Bill 194, are also a hindrance.
Image borrowed from Ericsson’s website
